@rainy_daze what do you think of this as a magical thinking definition?
In children
Magical thinking is most dominantly present in children between age 2 to 7 years old. During this age, children strongly believe that their personal thought has a direct effect on the rest of the world. Therefore if they experience something tragic that they do not understand,
e.g., a death, their mind would create a reason to feel responsible.
Jean Piaget, a
developmental psychologist, came up with a theory of four
developmental stages. Children between ages 2 to 7 would be classified under his
Preoperational Stage of development. During this stage children are perceived to not be able to use
logical thinking. A child's thinking is dominated by perceptions of physical features, meaning that if they are told that a family pet has gone away, then the child will have difficulty comprehending the transformation of the dog not being around anymore. Magical thinking would be evident here, since the child may believe that the family pet being gone is just temporary. Their young minds in this stage do not understand the finality of death and magical thinking bridges the gap.
Grieving children
Children who evidence magical thinking often feel that they are responsible for an event or events occurring, or are capable of reversing an event simply by thinking about it and wishing for a change.
[28] Make-believe and fantasy are an integral part of life at this age and are often used to explain the unexplainable.
[29][30]
According to Piaget, children within this age group are often "egocentric", believing that what they feel and experience is the same as everyone else's feelings and experiences.
[31] At this age, as well, there is often a lack of understanding that there may be other explanations for events aside from what they have comprehended. What happens outside their understanding needs to be explained using what they already know, because of an inability to fully comprehend abstract concepts.
[31]
Magical thinking is found particularly in children's explanations of experiences about death, whether the death of a family member or pet, or their own illness or impending death. These experiences are often new for a young child, who then has no experience to give understanding of the ramifications of the event.
[32] A child may feel that they are responsible for what has happened, simply because they were upset with the person who died, or perhaps played with the pet too roughly. There may also be the idea that if the child wishes it hard enough, or performs just the "right" act, the person or pet may choose to come back, and not be dead any longer.
[33] When considering their own illness or impending death, some children may feel that they are being punished for doing something wrong, or not doing something they should have, and therefore have become ill.
[34] If a child's ideas about an event are incorrect because of their magical thinking, there is a possibility that the conclusions the child makes could result in long-term beliefs and behaviours that create difficulty for the child as they mature.
[35]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_thinking
Okay well my thinking is firmly stuck between 2 to 7 years old. It could explain my failure at being part of the world or my inability to act like an adult and take responsibility for my life. Kind of sad, but also good to know.
